Celebrating Our Nurse Leaders During National Nurses' Week

National Nurses Week will be celebrated across the nation during the week of May 6 – May 12, and this year’s theme is Inspire, Innovate and Influence. These may seem like lofty ideals, over and above the work carried out by nurses in providing patient care. But these words are a true representation of the demands and achievements of today’s nursing profession, across the spectrum of age, experience level and care environment.

At Carlsbad Medical Center, I have the honor to work with some of the most dedicated and skilled nurses in the region. I’d like to give life to this year’s theme and recognize their excellence.

Inspire
It’s never been more important for older generations to mentor and inspire those entering the profession to sustain and grow the numbers of nurses. A 2016 survey asking 195 global leaders to rank leadership qualities in order of importance identified five key traits and practices that I observe in our experienced nurses every day:

• Exhibits high ethical and moral standards
• Provides clear goals and objectives, with loose guidelines and direction
• Clearly communicates expectations
• Has the flexibility to change his/her opinions
• Shows commitment to growth and ongoing education

Nurses play a key leadership role in caregiving, and those who demonstrate these traits are most successful in creating a safe and trusting environment for patients and in inspiring others to deliver safe, high-quality care.

Innovate
As earlier generations of nurses bring standards and deep experience to patient care, younger nurses enter the care environment with an innate talent for disruptive change. This generation came up challenging the status quo, academically and socially, and they embrace the risks associated with the changing healthcare landscape. Our nurses are positive and open-minded about new and different approaches and they are empowering people across our organization to embrace change that effectively advances patient care.

Influence
Nurses are influencing the development of new patient care models and the healthcare industry as a whole, across a myriad of roles and environments. Nursing skills and knowledge are now in demand by insurance providers, electronic health record and technology companies, pharmaceutical companies, and civic and government organizations. The commitment these men and women show to human health and safety, to ongoing education, and to tireless discipline and ethical leadership, makes nurses valuable regardless of industry.

We can all play a part in encouraging our nurses here in our community who are sharing their experience, mentoring those who follow them, and providing compassionate care to our families, friends and neighbors. Join all of us here at Carlsbad Medical Center in taking time during Nurses Week to acknowledge their service.

Sam Jones is the Chief Nursing Officer at Carlsbad Medical Center.

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